Studies of gender differences and individual variability in age-related phenomena are being carried out to: 1) determine the "normal" range of variability in human aging, 2) identify potential sources of variability which may be responsive to intervention, and 3) determine if there are subgroups of individuals who are more susceptible or resistant to various aspects of aging. The research combines the use of sophisticated statistical methodologies and the unique time depth and multidisciplinary breadth of the existing BLSA data base to examine issues related to the concepts of "normal" and "successful" aging, as well as to increase the power of traditional research designs. The statistical methods used include longitudinal regression models, time dependent proportional hazards analysis, and finite mixture models. Major findings include: 1) the longitudinal rate of hearing loss differs by gender and age (see Project Z01 AG 00628-05 LSB), 2) there is significant variability in longitudinal patterns of hearing loss even in groups carefully screened for otologic disorders and noise induced hearing loss, 3) variability in pulmonary function levels is greater in men than women and increases with age in men but deceases in women, and 4) accelerated decline in pulmonary function is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease death (see Project Z01 AG 00634-05 LSB). These findings represent significant contributions to the theoretical and methodological development of biomedical risk factor studies, as well as to an increased understanding of the dynamics of the aging process. Research is underway to develop more refined methods of studying variability in aging in order to develop theoretically and methodologically sound approaches to risk factor analysis which account for changes in an individual's covariates over time and the possibility that individuals differ in susceptibility or resistance to aging processes.